The 2016-2017 ACC Swimming & Diving Championships have changed both venues and weekends after the conference pulled all neutral-site championships from the state last month. The Georgia Tech Aquatics Center, originally built for the 1996 Olympics and used to host last year’s NCAA Championships, will now play host, with a slight tweak of dates.
Updated hosting for 8 ACC events:
- ACC Women’s Soccer Championship, Nov. 4 & 6 – MUSC Health Stadium; Charleston, South Carolina
- ACC Women’s Swimming & Diving/Men’s Diving Championships, Feb. 13-16 (change from original date) – McAuley Aquatic Center; Atlanta, Georgia
- ACC Men’s Swimming Championship, Feb. 27-March 2 (change from original date) – McAuley Aquatic Center; Atlanta, Georgia
- ACC Women’s Golf Championship, April 13-15 (change from original date) – The Reserve Golf Club; Pawley’s Island, South Carolina
- ACC Men’s Golf Championship, April 21-23 – Musgrove Mill Golf Club; Clinton, South Carolina
- ACC Men’s & Women’s Tennis Championships, April 26-30 – Rome Tennis Center at Berry College; Rome, Georgia
- ACC Baseball Championship, May 23-28 – Louisville Slugger Field; Louisville, Kentucky
The swimming & diving championships were originally scheduled to be held at the Greensboro Aquatic Center in Greensboro, North Carolina, with the women’s meet planned to run February 15th-18th and the men’s February 22nd-25th. Presumably because of scheduling conflicts, these meets will now be held Monday-Thursday instead of Wednesday-Saturday, albeit in the same weeks.
The ACC has taken advantage of the venue change to explore new venues for hosting its championships – which historically have relied heavily on the state of North Carolina – home to 4 members institutions and the ACC headquarters. Georgia Tech’s aquatics center is the only of the newly-announced venues that has previously hosted an ACC Championship event – in 2005, 2008, 2011, and 2015.
Media reports also indicate that overtures were made to the Virginia Tech Aquatics Center, but that the facility would not displace the high school championship meets already scheduled there.
The ACC’s decision came on the heels of a similar one from the NCAA a few days earlier. The decision was made in protest and objection of North Carolina law HB2, which deals with gender identity. In part, the rule requires a person to use the bathroom as defined on their birth certificate in publicly-held buildings.
Is the schedule of events set for the ACC Championships?
Colin – as far as we know it is. Order of events should be the same as usual.
is that 200 and 800 FR timed finals first night?
My question as well. I’m new to the ACC and I looked at last years schedule of events — does the “same as usual” mean that they are the same as last year? I’m not sure what the same as usual means. Thank you, Kim
I’m glad the ACC (just like the NCAA) is willing to take a stand for something, no matter how tangentially related the issue might be to collegiate athletics.
They sure as heck don’t do it for things like academic integrity (I’m looking at UNC, who manufactured fake degrees for ~20 yeaers in order to compete for championships… and make lots of $$$ for both the ACC and the NCAA in the process). So what do you think is more important to the university presidents who ultimately make these decisions: niche political stands by state politicians, or the academic integrity of the institutions they are personally responsible for upholding? Actions speak louder than words.
Which bathrooms are the Tar Heels supposed to use?
Who cares. State is going to win it no matter the location.
At least this saved NCS from having to hold Senior Champs at Huntersville.. now that Greensboro is wide open we’re good to go!
Noice